Electric and hybrid cars lose up to 40% efficiency in extreme cold

A recent laboratory test of six popular electric and hybrid models measured the impact of temperature extremes on energy consumption and driving range. In a cold‑weather chamber set to –6.6 °C (20 °F), electric vehicles lost an average of 35.6 % efficiency, equating to a 39 % reduction in estimated autonomy, while hybrids saw a 22.8 % rise in fuel consumption. The Tesla Model Y exhibited the steepest drop among the EVs. Cost analysis showed that traveling 1,600 km in cold conditions costs about $87.75 for an electric car—roughly 29 % less than a hybrid—but the advantage depends on access to cheap home charging; public fast‑charging can make EVs more expensive. In hot conditions (35 °C), electric cars lost about 10 % efficiency and hybrids about 12 % in fuel use. The study confirms that extreme cold penalises EVs more than hybrids, but overall lifecycle costs still favour electric models when charging infrastructure is favorable.